Ever feel like your vet is over charging?!?

#16
I like my local vet. If she needs a shot, she just gets taken in the back and brought right out, and it's like $14 for a booster of bordatella. A regular exam is $75. She's never been really sick so not sure what it would cost for something more serious, but even nail clipping is only $5.

I would definitely look for another vet that is more reasonable.
 
#17
My last pom had a problem with keeping food down and i took him in to get him checked out. I came out with a 600 dollar bill. I didnt even know what hit me, until i looked at the invoice in my hand. He had two xrays, blood drawn (but get this: they had to sedate him becuz he was being too rowdy and they couldnt get him to sit still to draw his blood, so extra 80 bucks for that), lab tests, office visit (which was 50 BUCKS!). Freaking ridiculous! I've since found a new vet...soo much cheaper. Only down part is they dont accept appointments, just go in and wait.
O and did i mention, vaccination shots are 25-40 dollars per shot depending on the shot...plus office visit charge. I love my dog, but his medical bills costs more than mine and he's like 1/5 of my size...
 
#19
Yup, I think my vet is way overpriced. I have always wanted to check out other local vets in the area, but we have been going to our vet for 10+ years. Well we have been going to the same office for 10+ years. The old vet retired about 4 years ago and a new young vet has taken over. It seems like since then their prices have skyrocketed. Everyone in the office knows us and our dogs very well, but I just can't believe how much money we spend there.
 
#20
I have absolutely NEVER felt that they rip us off. Do you all realize how much these tests cost? Paying for staff? Paying for supplies. Remember, they are a DOCTOR and have to pay for all their education too... AND.... just do a compare - take your own itemized doctor bill and compare it to the vet bill - the vet bill will be WAY less. Your vet will earn way less than an MD (though similar educations) and the staff will earn way less (and is the job less difficult than working with humans?) Problem is, most of us have health insurance so we don't feel the cost of our health tests, but we feel the FULL effect of our pet care costs (which is why if I ever had a dog I would get insurance) and it just seems like a LOT, but in actuality, they are almost always undercharging.

Then you will ask, then why do some places charge less? Because they aren't as good or are skimping corners are are just trying to stay afloat and SOME money is better than NO MONEY - remember they are competing for business too.

So... I never complain because thank goodness it is lower than human care but NO LESS quality than what human care is.
 
#21
^^
berryblondeboys, thank you for your input. I am not a vet, but definitely been at the receiving end of client concerns... i know we can't really compare human healthcare and animal healthcare side-by-side, but, i agree part of is because we don't see itemized bills for our medical costs, too.
as for differences among hospitals... vets really don't make much money, unless their are owners, and techs and other staff really do not make much, even if we are licensed... i have to say something is suffering somewhere if your vet is 'cheap'... it maybe that they are paying less to their staff, which creates high turnovers and less skilled/educated staff who handles our precious babies. vet does not have to hire licensed technicians. do you know how many staff in the back are licensed and trained properly when giving your pets drugs and do anesthetic monitoring? i have worked at hospitals who cut costs by recycling oral syringes... cheap places may not have quality equipments nor may not be keeping their stock and supplies up to date. do you know how many veterinarians will stock and use expired drugs?
and on the other end, there are hospitals who do seem to be number focused so to keep up the production percentage... and they drive really really expensive cars but the staff gets paid dirt cheap... i have worked for veterinarians like that, too.
like someone said, it is about trust. shop around. some may not have that luxury because of location. being in the industry, i think i finally found veterinarians that i trust to have my pets seen by. and i feel they charge me appropriately because from doctors to staff, they really do take care of my animals and myself. i hope we all find vets like that.
 
#23
i dont feel that my vet is overcharging me but I do feel that there is a thin line between "what is good for the animal" vs. "what makes money for the vet." I recently purchased a puppy from a very reputable show breeder. This breeder does DNA testing on all his dogs in the breeding program so he breeds for quality and health. When I took my puppy to the vet for her last set of puppy shots, the vet couldn't STOP talking about spaying. I literally just got the dog yesterday! The vet kept telling me about how much "mess" shes going to be when shes in heat and the benefits of avoiding cancer if I spay her (my breeder said that w/ a small Maltese, you have to use a Q tip to swab for signs..They do not have their period around the house or make messes like bigger dogs do)...Ok..fine..I then talked to my breeder and he recommended me to wait until shes a big bigger and older (she is only 3.5 lbs now!) When I told me vet during our second visit (for my puppy's rabies shot) he told me "its a BIG MISTAKE TO WAIT for spay." He said that I will "lose" the benefits of her not getting cancer if I spay before her first heat...really?? I have my pup;s pedigree, she never had any dog in her line w/ any cancers/tumors..male or female..For some reason, I really doubt the vet's reaosning. I mean, we wouldn't cut off our breasts to avoid breast cancer, would we? I think causes of cancer has much to do w/ genetics and diet. Cutting off organs to avoid cancer just seem like a reverse reaosning to me. I am not discounting the benefits of spaying. But, I do not appreciate the vet trying to exaggerate or "scare" me into spaying ASAP neither. I know my dog's family tree..I know where she came from. Granted, I do not plan to breed her (I cant, I bought her on a limited K.) but I don't think I am being a bad pup mommy by wanting to wait to spay. ..She is only a puppy and at 3.5 lbs, I don't think its a 'BIG MISTAKE" to wait until my pup gets a bit older. She is an INDOOR DOG and its not like she comes into contact w/ other dogs. I am not saying my vet is bad..but it makes me wonder how he juggles the line between being 100% truthful and financial gains.
 
#24
^^ Having your dog spayed before her first heat will drastically reduce the risk of cancer, so I can see why your vet thought you were making a mistake by not having her spayed. If you're not planning on breeding her, why are you compromising her health by waiting? I don't think he was trying to make a financial gain by you, he was giving you good advice. Just because she has a strong pedigree does not mean that it's impossible for her to get cancer, and I think your vet was truly looking out for your pet's best interest.
 
#25
heartnaspade said:
^^ Having your dog spayed before her first heat will drastically reduce the risk of cancer, so I can see why your vet thought you were making a mistake by not having her spayed. If you're not planning on breeding her, why are you compromising her health by waiting? I don't think he was trying to make a financial gain by you, he was giving you good advice. Just because she has a strong pedigree does not mean that it's impossible for her to get cancer, and I think your vet was truly looking out for your pet's best interest.
Click to expand...

i didnt say i was not going to spay her. i wanted to wait until my puppy gets bigger to undergo anesthesia, which is required for spaying. that was all i wrote. of course anything is possible. some pp go life long smoking heavily and never get lung cancer. spaying does not guarantee 100% healthy dog neither. i just don't appreciate pushy tactics.
 
#27
heartnaspade said:
^^ Having your dog spayed before her first heat will drastically reduce the risk of cancer, so I can see why your vet thought you were making a mistake by not having her spayed. If you're not planning on breeding her, why are you compromising her health by waiting? I don't think he was trying to make a financial gain by you, he was giving you good advice. Just because she has a strong pedigree does not mean that it's impossible for her to get cancer, and I think your vet was truly looking out for your pet's best interest.
Click to expand...

You are completely correct. There is a huge benefit to spaying dogs before their first heat.

And I had my Chi spayed when she was 6 months old...she weighed about 3-4 lbs. I stayed next to her for the entire procedure (plus side of being a former employee of the vet!!) and had a heart monitor, etc. attached to her. She did great, with a very speedy recovery :smile:
 
#28
I'm very lucky. Ours doesn't gouge and there's nothing lacking in the quality or love he puts into the care of his clients. He also understands many ill animals wouldn't be brought in if costs are too high. People, reputable breeders, etc drive hours to bring their dogs to him. Once our friend's cat got hit by a car, unbeknownst to our friend. Someone who witnessed it, brought the cat to our vet, and he recognized who's cat it was. He brought in his OWN cat for a blood transfusion and did emergency surgery. He then called our friend to tell him what happened, apologized that he couldn't save him. When our friend tried to pay, our vet refused to accept any money. Once I had to page him at 1230am when our pom mimi had complications. He was still at the office monitoring a critical pet (so he was staying there all night) and told me to bring her in. Because he was already there, there was no emergency fee (since that was the only time, I'm not even sure if he charges extra). Many greatful pet owners will be so disappointed when he retires (he tried once, but he kept thinking about his clients so he came back). He's mentioned not making much money, but he the loves his job and doesn't really care to make much of a profit. Not that every vet has to follow what he does since everyone has to make a living and cover costs (plus, it's his own clinic), but he's just a gem.
 
#29
Indeed. I fostered two abandoned kittens once, right after FH and I moved to Ohio. One of them was having very bad diarhea, so since I was keeping them together at the time, I took both kittens to a vet nearby. The office was nice and spacious and clean, and the staff very friendly. Long story short, 3 visits later, at $300 a pop (for EACH kitten--even though she only worked with ONE each time, saying that since they shared a litter box, they would have the same problems), she was unable to give us any answers. Well, the issue continued, so I took the kittens to my dog's old vet, 1.5 hrs away in Indiana. She told me they both had a heavy case of worms, gave them some medicine, and I walked away only $124 poorer. They have been perfectly fine since. I was pretty appalled that a trained veterinarian would not know how to diagnose WORMS.

I will say however, that this isn't an issue exclusive to vets. Running into greedy people is an unfortunate fact of life.:sad:
 
#30
Here's my 2 cents from working in a vet clinic: :smile:

Employed staff do not earn alot of money. Which means, unless your vet is THE boss, he or she is getting a flat rate pay per month, whether he/she does overtime. The cost of vaccinations, blood tests, surgeries etc are usually set by the boss already, and they just have to charge it out. Vets will have studied for 5-6 years but their salary is frankly very low compared to other professions out there.

There are a lot of hidden costs that you don't see. Syringes, needles, gauze, swabs, disinfecting and cleaning agents, blood vacutainers, machine upkeep, xray films, xray chemicals, etc etc. If you have a boisterous dog that doesn't keep still when doing blood tests, then we may have to use for eg 3 syringes and 3 needles to successfully draw blood, because we don't keep jabbing with the same needle (goes blunt). And also nurses. You're paying for their time, their care and their physical handling of your pet. Plus feeding, watering, walking, cleaning out cages etc.

If your pet is difficult to handle, sedation is required. They may be loving, placid and good-natured with you, their owner, but when they're feeling ill, plus thrust into a new scary environment with strangers who are trying to stick needles into them, they get scared, and some animals get aggressive and therefore dangerous to their handlers. No vet staff wants to be scratched, bitten or mauled by a scared animal, hence the sedation.

It is scientifically proven that if you neuter a female dog before her first heat, there is like an 80% risk reduction in developing reproductive cancer down the road. Also it prevents against getting pyometra which is a uterine infection with pus and can be fatal if not rushed into emergency surgery.. by then you'd be paying $1000 easy for that procedure along with fluids, tests, recovery care. Same goes for male dogs, neutering them early helps prevent aggression related problems and reproductive problems.

Having said all that, there are some clinics that do charge more for the same services. Sometimes they can get away with that if they are the sole clinic on a mountain, for e.g. Or, if they are a 24 hour hospital facility, because they have specialists working there. What you truly should be paying for is the level of client care and communication. There is no point going to the cheapest vet around if he/she will not treat your pet with respect.
 
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